A remarkable wine for the year, the 2017 Opus One is a dense, full-throttle beauty. Plush fruit and soft, silky contours give the 2017 its racy personality. Exotic, beautifully perfumed and impeccable in its balance, Opus One is one of the most complete w...
The “home” vineyard of Ann Colgin and Joe Wender, Tychson Hill has emerged as one of St. Helena/Napa’s most singular, evocative vineyards. Only about six acres in total, sloped and with a northern aspect, the major section of the vineyard was planted in 1...
The 2022 Chardonnay Lauren Estate includes four different Chardonnay selections—Hyde Old Wente, Montrachet, Mount Eden and Hudson, planted in 1999 and 2000. Matured in 87% new French oak yet not oaky at all, the nose offers up notes of crushed stone, whit...
This mouthwatering Champagne has an ethereal quality, with a frame of chiseled acidity and focused precision to the pointillisme-like, vibrant mousse. Yet this shows depth and generous expression, with the finely spun notes of patisserie apple and blackbe...
The 2024 Chardonnay Lauren is the most refined and sensual of the 2024 Chardonnays from Mark Aubert. Soft, caressing contours frame a core of apricot, lemon confit, white flowers, tangerine oil and chalk. This vivid, structured Chardonnay has a very br...
The 2024 Chardonnay CIX Estate is seriously impressive. Rich, deep and explosive, the 2024 hits the palate with layered, intensely mineraldriven fruit. Orange peel, chamomile and floral-infused honey all build in the glass. Readers will find a deep, pot...
The 2024 Chardonnay Sugar Shack offers tons of immediacy right out of the gate. Orange confit, roasted apple, pastry notes, tropical overtones and a kiss of French oak are dialed up nicely. I imagine this will be one of the Chardonnays that drinks well...
The 2022 Chardonnay UV-SL hints at powder-sugared brioche on the nose, backed by lemon-lime notes and some apple-ish fruit. From multiple rootstocks and clonal selections, it's full-bodied and expansive on the palate, generous, rich and long. Don't be foo...
Planted in 2013 to a mix of Hyde Old Wente and Mount Eden, Aubert's 2021 Chardonnay Powder House features prominent notes of toasted hazelnut and crushed stone atop a base of white peaches, lemon-lime notes and cooling herbs. It's medium to full-bodied an...
The 2021 Chardonnay Sugar Shack is a classic Mark Aubert wine. Creamy and ample in feel, the 2021 is super-expressive right out of the gate. Soft, silky contours frame lemon confit, white flowers, tangerine oil and lightly honeyed overtones that appear wi...
The newest addition to the Aubert lineup, Park Avenue (a former apple orchard) was planted in 2016 to Hyde Old Wente and Montrachet selections. Like all of the Chardonnays, there's a hefty dose of new French oak used in the 2021 Chardonnay Park Avenue, an...